The debate over the flag's removal was inflamed after photos emerged of Dylann Storm Roof — the gunman who killed nine African-Americans at a church in Charleston — posing with the flag. Some southerners consider the flag to symbolize tradition and heritage, but for many nationwide, it's a symbol of racist ideology.
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley called for the removal of the Confederate flag from its location in front of the State legislature; however, this can only be done with the approval of two-thirds of that body.
The House has since filed two bills regarding the flag, and the Senate sent a bipartisan bill to the chamber floor for debate, which will likely be taken up on Monday.
Previously, a poll from Winthrop University found that 73% of whites in the state want the flag to remain where it is. The same poll reported that 61% of blacks want it taken down.
The Confederate States of America was an unrecognized confederation of states in the southern region of the United States, formed in 1861 in opposition to Abraham Lincoln's presidential platform against the expansion of slavery.
